The Fallen and The Unreformed
New York (left) v. Pumkin (right) - Notice the loogie mid-air.What's our fascination with watching people make complete and utter fools of themselves? Flavor of Love, I Love New York, Rock of Love, Real Chance At Love, Flavor of Love 2, and the list goes on and on. All of these shows feature groups of shameless, publicity-hungry twenty somethings who claim to be in search of love. The ensuing drama, hilarity, and sheer ridiculousness makes these shows incredibly addicting to the average TV-holic. They're basically montages of drunken moments among the scantily clad and clearly uneducated dredges of our generation, where the only trace of cohesion lies in the unrequited love of a has-been/D-list celebrity. Harsh much? Well, to ease the burn, I'll add that I myself am an avid viewer of these types of shows. Does that make me just as pathetic as the show's contestants? I think not. I, like the rest of the media-junkies who comprise the VH1 audience, recognize the uselessness of watching these demonstrations of stupidity (except, perhaps, for models of what not to ever do). It isn't difficult to see. Though "normal" is a relative term, I think it's fair to say that normal people don't commonly hock loogies in each other's faces and fist fight on a daily basis. We know that the people on these shows are acting "unacceptably," and that's exactly what makes it entertaining. We can sit on our couches and laugh at them, point fingers, and say "man, I would NEVER do that!" It's stimulating and entertaining, although not exactly in the good way. It doesn't bring up philosophical issues or impart key information, but I would argue that it challenges our conceptions of humanity. Sometimes I find myself wondering, "Do people like this really exist in the world?" And obviously, the answer is yes. Despite the fact that most of these people put on a show for the intrusive cameras, it still says something about their personal sets of morals and values. Now, I can't speak for everyone, but watching people who seemingly have no morals only reinforces the importance of having morals to me. Reverse effect. And I don't think I'm the only one. Which brings me to my next point...
These shows were only the first wave. Did you really think it was going to quickly fade away just like that?
Recently, I've been seeing a new emerging trend in reality television: reformation shows. Charmed School and Tool Academy are just a few of ones on VH1, and I saw a commercial for one that's supposed to be on ABC (something about an "Inner Beauty contest," where the contestants think they're being judged on their outer appearance, when they're actually being judged on their inner beauty). They've taken it one step further. Now that we've seen these reality "stars" demonstrate their retardation, we want to watch them as they're shown the error of their ways, and are ultimately set straight. This, in itself, is a perfect example of the media-induced public's love-hate relationship with reality television. We ridicule its' stupidity, yet when it acknowledges its' own wrongdoings, we grant it forgiveness. VH1 and MTV say, "Oops, our bad!" and then attempt to nullify the bad street cred with shows that appear to have slightly more substance than their predecessors. If you haven't yet seen any of these shows, Charmed School features the former female contestants from Rock of Love and Flavor of Love [wonder why that is? as if the guys on I Love New York couldn't benefit from some counseling?], as they are put through somewhat of a boot camp to gain class. Meanwhile, Tool Academy attempts to teach "tools" to become better boyfriends and men in general. Not that this is a bad thing, if assuming that these people actually wanted to change for the better. Unfortunately, the only motivation that keeps them on these shows is usually a cash prize. Greed at its best. They'll do whatever it takes. And in the end, they all go away with 15 more minutes of fame, and we go away feeling a little less spiteful towards humanity.
Anyone who has the least bit of analytical experience can see that it's a ploy to keep the audience coming back for more. And truthfully, it works. I came back for more, after all. Although it's just about on the verge of "getting old" in my book, I still know enough about it to think it's worth discussing. I of all people am not condoning reality television, but I suppose the point is merely to keep your thinking cap on. Realize that the world of reality TV and the real world are two entirely different places. There is complexity and meaning in the real world. Meanwhile, in the world of reality TV, all can be good and well on the surface, where it counts!
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